Maternal recasts and activity variations: A comparison of mother--child dyads involving children with and without SLI

Abstract

This study investigated maternal recast and the children’s responses comparing dyads made up of a mother and a child with typical language development (TD) or a child with specific language impairment (SLI). More specifically, this article deals with the influence of the type of activity being carried out on the number and types of maternal recasts. A sample of 17 French-speaking children with SLI (age 5 to 7 years) matched with 17 TD same-age peers was observed in interaction with their mother during four different activities (joint reading, symbolic play, question guessing game and clue guessing game). The results showed that group and activity had an impact on the number and type of recasts. Mothers of children with SLI offered more recasts than mothers of TD children. The former preferred phonological recasts whereas the latter preferred lexical ones. Moreover, recasts were more frequently used in joint reading than in other activities. Regarding the children’s responses, no significant difference was observed between the two groups. Children with SLI took up the maternal proposition more frequently after a lexical recast than after a recast of another type. The findings provide evidence for considering the features of the activities in clinical settings.

• Children’s responses
• dialogue
• mother–child interaction
• recast
• specific language impairment

Acknowledgements

This research is part of a larger research project funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (n° 100012-111938 and 100012_124744), lead by Prof. G. de Weck (University of Neuchâtel) and Prof. A. Salazar Orvig (University of Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris3). Other collaborators were also involved in this project (Tiziana Bignasca, Cristina Corlateanu, Séverine Gendre, Juliane Ingold, Jeanne Pantet and Céline Schwab Stoebener). We thank all children and mothers who participated in this study as well as speech and language therapists and teachers for their collaboration. We also thank Enrico Berkes for his help with statistics and Nancy Chang for having proofread the article.

Appendix A

Transcription conventions

• () Elision (excepted for schwas)

• {} Uncertain transcription or hesitation between two transcriptions

• : :: ::: Syllabic lengthening

• . Assertion

• ? Interrogation

• ! Exclamation

• / // silence less than 3 sec long

• (3 sec.) Silence

• = Simultaneity between verbal and non-verbal behaviours

• (()) Non-verbal behaviour

• °(())° Simultaneity between two non-verbal behaviours

Notes

*The population and data were taken from a research program entitled “Interaction between SLI children and their mothers in speech and language therapy settings: interactional dynamics and scaffolding” (see acknowledgements). The study was approved by the Swiss National Science Foundation and informed consent was obtained for each participant.

*Captions indicate the child’s group (SLI or TD) and age, and the current activity (JR, SP, QG or CG).